Reception
by RicardianScholar Clark-Weasley
Summary: AU of Shakespeare Re-told. instead of going to Honeymoon Hell, they have the Reception and Harry saves the day with his best man speech. very high T


She struggled to get her hand out of his iron like grip but was failing miserably. This was a huge stab at her pride, she was usually stronger than this but she couldn't get her hand out of a drag queen's grip. Not fair at all.

"I'm not going to let you embarrass me," he hissed in her ear.

"Me embarrass you!" she squawked still struggling to get out of his grip on her wrist.

The priest looked on worried. "Is...Err...everything all right?"

"WHY WOULDN'T IT BE?" Petruchio roared letting go of her wrist.

Everyone gasped horrified and Kate inwardly rolled her eyes. Christ sake, shouting at a priest isn't a crime these days.

"I'm just asking," the priest said a little taken back.

"No, I'm sorry...I'm not going through this," Katherine said quietly.

"Sorry, what?" Petruchio said suddenly crowding her personal space (again!), his hand on her shoulder as he leant down to look at her.

"Oh, you're not going to make a fool out of me," she whispered.

"You're the one that's not going to make a fool out of me, Kate" he said pulling and looking away from her.

"Oh I think you're doing a good job at that by yourself," she said spitefully.

"That's, that's unkind!" he said pointing at her and looking around the church as if he was trying to get them to see how horrible she was. Tough luck with that, they already know – she's Katherine Minola who takes no crap from anyone including her future husband to be.

"I can't believe this is happening to me," she whispered horrified.

"I'm sorry; I know I shouldn't have a drink earlier. That's a fair point but I was scared that you won't turn up," he said pleadingly.

"You were scared that I won't turn up" she snarled turning to look at him in the eye for the first time since he staggered of the motorbike pissed out of his mind.

"If you walk out of here now it'll look really bad. Really bad. Not for me, but for you" he pointed to her before moving his hands in her face, making grand gestures that were nothing but short of annoying. "You think about all those photographers out there, if the tabloids find out they're going to love it. They're going to say 'oh she doesn't know her own mind, she can't make a decision, she wants to run the country'"

"No I don't!" she said instantly.

"Oh, Yes you do," he said half patronising and half coyly. She wanted to throttle him and kiss him at the same time, from the corner of her eye she could see his smug grin and the way he was moving, despite his drunkenness, had some sort of sexual pull on her. Arsehole.

"Marrying the man who..." she looked at his outfit. Short skirt, fishnets, high heeled boots, blouse see through blouse and dark velvet jacket. She let out a strangled noise. "Oh that's a good decision! That's going to make me look like potential world leader is it?" she screeched the last part out.

"The only thing you can do my love, my dove, my sexy Kate," she wanted to hit him as his hands touched her face and tried to force her to smile she was so tempted to bite them off, "is put a great big smile and pretend this was all planned and, get married, enjoy the reception and look forwards to our honeymoon. Hmm, don't you think that's a good idea?"

"I'd rather gut you out and rip your balls off before doing anything with you," she snarled.

A baby somewhere started to cry.

Katherine started to wish that the ground would swallow her up. She stared straight at the wall behind the priest unable to bring herself to look at anyone in case she broke down and ran out and ruined her career. Damn that bastard! The smug git had the arrogance to put his arm around her waist while the priest started to lead the ceremony. It wasn't fair, she's doing her best to be furious with the bastard but he smelt so damn good and felt so nice and warm that a little part of her wanted to lean in. No way in hell was she going to break! The ceremony was far too long than she liked, there were too many prayers and hymns before the vows even started. Why the hell did she go with the church service Tim suggested?

Oh yeah, because it would look good.

The story for every crap and embarrassing thing that's happening to her.

"You may now kiss the bride," the priest finished looking relieved.

"No way in h-hmph!"

Her tart of a husband picked her up and slammed his lips on hers before she could finish her retort. She banged him on the back and tired to kick him to get him to stop. Bianca had difficulty to cover her laugh on how childish her sister looked and Katherine could hear her giggles clearly. That's one dead little sister when all of this is over and done with. Meanwhile Petruchio had the nerve to bite her lip and stick his tongue in her throat, she had planned to bite it but he was doing this strange flickering that made her moan a little and cling onto him instead of hitting him.

He let her go just as she started to enjoy it and smirked.

Bastard!

ToSToSToSToS

The reception was the most awkward affair in all of Katherine's life. Considering she had started several cat fights and frosty silences during political dinners that really was saying something. Petruchio barely ate and chose to drink one drink after another, her mother was joining Petruchio in the drinking, Harry looked depressed and about to join them while Bianca was snogging her boy toy. Tim and all the other political friends just looked sorry for her and she felt the urge to throw her plate at them.

She was also dealing with her conflicted relationship with Petruchio that constantly changed depending which moods they were both in. The moment the word divorce left her lips he has been acting worse and worse.

A bloody tease and embarrassment! A nightmare!

He would be all touchy under the table, his hand on her leg or an arm round her waist and then suddenly he'll pull away and say something horribly rude and cause a whispered argument. He would be all close up and she would lose concentration on her argument as she realises just how close his lips are and then he'll pull away and his hand will fall on her lap again as he gets a waiter to fetch him another drink.

A fucking tease.

"May I have all of your attention?" Harry called tapping his fork against the glass. The quiet party turned dead as everyone looked at him. Katherine mentally groaned and grabbed onto her fish knife for a weapon. The best man speech. Something told her that she was going to kill either Harry or Petruchio or both. "Now, I unfortunately known Petruchio all my life-"

"What do you mean unfortunately? I've saved your arse several times before!" Petruchio shouted, waving a hand wildly and accidentally hitting Katherine on the side of her face. She returned the hit quick and fast causing him to yelp.

"Shut up so we can get this over and done with!" Katherine hissed.

Everyone was feeling rather sorry for Harry who would have to put up with this more than they do. "Yes, anyway I've known Petruchio all my life," Harry said returning to his speech. "And I can honestly say that he's not one of the grownups likes us," Petruchio shrugged, he really couldn't argue with that he was never the one to act sensible, "he is an unstable, unbalanced exhibitionist who needs someone to think the world of him."

"Good god, why did you let him near my daughter?" Mrs Minola whispered gulping back and drink before grabbing Bianca's untouched one.

"And therefore I am glad to know he has found Kate," Harry said as if the mother of the bride didn't speak. A few people looked confused; they had no idea who Kate was. After all before Petruchio came along the only person who ever called Katherine, Kate was her father and he died years ago. "I know in his very own strange way that Petruchio thinks the world of Kate and would die for her," Harry lifts up his glass, "So here's to Petruchio and Kate, may they be happy together for many years."

"Petruchio and Kate," everyone repeated, the Kate sounding strange to them.

Katherine felt her anger lessen. Only a little tiny bit of it! She hadn't exactly been the same since her own father died; she has been constantly angry since that day and has never let anyone close to her. She had been labelled unstable and unbalanced as well, only prude or dyke usually followed. Petruchio dismissed the idea of his mother when she brought it up 'oh no didn't need her. She cleared off, must have been about six...' and he lost his father long ago. Harry was all he had in life and Harry was too obsessed with Bianca to care.

She moved Petruchio's hand off her lap and held it in her own under the table. She'll allow him to touch her but that's as far as it'll go! She's still going to divorce him if he continues to drive her mad! She smiled a little when he squeezed her hand back but it disappeared when she heard Tim gasp in horror and she directed a scowl at him.

After all, if she was going to have subordinates they must fear her first, and then maybe just maybe like her nicer side.

ToSToSToSToS

"Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the Lord and Lady Churlbury's first dance," the lead singer of a random Jazz band Tim hired said.

Petruchio staggered drunkenly across the dance floor dragging Katherine with him. He clumsily grabbed at her shoulders and began to sway as Katherine stood there mortified and frozen stiff with terror that he'll collapse on her or she'll look like an idiot.

She looked like an idiot already.

"Kate," he crooned, "you got to dance."

"I rather gut you out," she hissed.

"Later, my love, when we're in the honeymoon suite you can have all the fun you want," he promised with a playful smile. Katherine suppressed a small shudder at the implication in his voice and smile. She wasn't inexperienced as people think but she was still inexperienced and it had been a very, very long time. And he was a very, very handsome man. "Dance with me, my love."

They danced awfully. He stepped on her feet and made her swear, and she stepped on his but he didn't notice because he really was out of his mind with alcohol. They staggered across the dance floor, bumping into other couples that were attempting to dance, and accidentally, slightly on purpose pushed Bianca into the cake (no one was going to eat it and Katherine had no intention of doing the bloody cutting because she was about to die of embarrassment once she's off the dance floor). Ignoring Bianca's screams of fury and Mrs Minola's fussing they moved decided to leave the dance floor before causing another disaster.

"We were terrible!" Petruchio half giggled.

"I hate dancing," Katherine grumbled. "I'm awful at it."

Petruchio threw himself into a chair and pulled Katherine onto his lap. She half thought to argue and fight out of his hold on her but decided it was better to go with it for now and scold him in private when he won't make a public scene to embarrass her. "All it takes is practise and we got plenty of time to do so on our honeymoon," he whispered in her ear. She could practically hear the sexual innuendo and kicked him for it. Making her blush, the git! "Kate," he moaned. "You're making me so horny. Wiggle about for me."

"Shut up!" she hissed feeling her cheeks heat up. She could also feel his words being very true against her backside and uncomfortably wiggled so she couldn't feel it.

All she did was make it grow and him moan. "Oh yes," he said against her neck causing her to shudder. "Oh Kate, you smell wonderful. All full of sex and power and just you. I feel like I'm going to explode now if you don't touch me."

She stiffened, so unsure what to do or what to say. She felt uncomfortable, scared, nervous and stupid. She hated all of those feelings, she worked hard to never feel them and he makes her feel them all the time along with this strong desire to do something! She turned to face him and kissed the corner of his lips, not sure what else to do and just hoped it would be enough.

His hand slid into her hair and pulled her head down for a proper kiss. It was different from the forced ones in and outside the church. It was all soft, gentle and sensual. She could taste the champagne and whiskey and brandy all mixed up into one intoxicating taste and for some strange reason she wanted more of it.

He pulled away and looked at her straight in the eye. He was all heavy-lidded and filled with lust himself. "Promise there'll be no mention of divorce," he murmured.

"There won't be," she muttered back.

"You'll never leave me, right?"

"Right."

"We're leaving the party early; I can hear our bedroom calling us."

ToSToSToSToS

It was early afternoon; the sun was shining on the car and burning their eyes as they drove through Italian countryside.

"There's something I don't get," Petruchio said, his eyes shut and voice grumpy due to the fact he has yet to get over the hangover he woke up with.

"What?" Katherine asked.

"We're renting a five bedroom villa for our honeymoon...why?"

"Originally Tim and a few others who were working on my campaign were going to join us in a couple days."

"What changed their minds?"

"They're quite frankly too terrified of us and don't want to be witnesses to a murder," Katherine said coolly as she remembered the phone messages Tim left on her mobile earlier this morning. They're cowards the lot of them, just because she almost stabbed Petruchio with the meat knife when he made a very loud crude comment during the reception didn't mean anything. Neither did the threats at church or the louder, nastier threats when he was bloody teasing her on her wedding night! "They're going to phone me on a regular basis to inform me on the details."

"I'll chuck it in the swimming pool then," Petruchio said not liking the idea of sharing his wife on their honeymoon. He's going to share her to this job for the rest of their lives he should be allowed one week full of sex first! "Then we can explore these five bedrooms thoroughly."

"Throw my mobile in the swimming pool and I'll make you suffer the worst torture imaginable."

"Ooh, kinky! You really know how to turn me on, Kate."

"Shut up, I'm driving!"

"Stop the car then and we'll explore Italy."

They did a lot of exploring before they managed to get to the villa. But it wasn't exactly Italy they were exploring.


End file.
